Privacy policy

The short version: we collect what we need to answer your enquiry and act for you, we keep it secure, we don’t sell it, and you can ask to see it or correct it at any time.

Who we are

Joshi Lawyers Pty Ltd (ABN 76 140 306 654), trading as Joshi Lawyers, is a law practice with offices in South Yarra and Point Cook, Victoria. We are bound by the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles, and by our professional duty of confidentiality under the Legal Profession Uniform Law as it applies in Victoria.

What we collect

What we collect depends on how you deal with us.

• When you enquire or book a call: your name, phone number, email address, the area of law and a short description of your matter.
• When you become a client: the information needed to act for you. Depending on the matter this can include identity documents (verification of identity is compulsory for property transactions), financial information, property and business records, information about family members and other parties, and correspondence. Some of this may be sensitive information under the Privacy Act, such as health information in a family law matter. We collect sensitive information only with your consent or where the law allows.
• When you use this website: our hosting provider records standard server logs (IP address, browser type, pages requested, time of request) for security and performance. This site does not currently use analytics cookies or advertising trackers. The booking calendar on the Contact page is provided by Microsoft and may set cookies that Microsoft controls.

Where it is practical, you can deal with us anonymously or under a pseudonym, for example when asking a general question by phone. We cannot act for you anonymously.

How we collect it

Mostly from you: by phone, email, our enquiry form, our booking page, in meetings and through documents you give us. In the course of a matter we may also collect information about you from other people and organisations, for example the other party’s lawyer, your accountant or financial adviser, courts and tribunals, land and company registries, banks and government agencies.

Why we collect it and how we use it

• To respond to your enquiry and arrange the free 15-minute call and any meeting that follows.
• To check for conflicts of interest before we accept a matter.
• To provide legal services, including advising you, preparing documents, negotiating and settling transactions and conducting proceedings.
• To issue costs disclosures, estimates and invoices, and to manage trust money in accordance with the Legal Profession Uniform Law.
• To meet legal obligations, including verification of identity for property transactions, record-keeping and court rules.
• To keep in touch about your matter, and occasionally to tell you about changes in the law that affect you. You can opt out of anything that is not about an active matter at any time.

We do not sell personal information and we do not use it for third-party advertising.

Who we share it with

We share personal information only where it is needed to act for you or where the law requires it. That can include:

• Barristers, experts, valuers, mediators and other professionals engaged on your matter.
• The other parties and their lawyers, courts, tribunals, registries and government agencies, as the matter requires.
• Electronic conveyancing and settlement platforms (PEXA) and the banks and other parties to a settlement.
• Service providers that help us run the practice: Microsoft 365 (email, documents and the booking calendar), Web3Forms (delivers website enquiries to our inbox and keeps a copy for no more than seven days), Vercel (website hosting), and our practice-management, accounting and IT providers. Each handles your information only to provide its service to us.
• Anyone you ask us to share it with, or where disclosure is required or authorised by law.

Overseas disclosure

Our email, documents and booking calendar are held by Microsoft in Australian data centres. Website enquiries pass through Web3Forms and our hosting provider Vercel, which may process data in the United States and other countries before it reaches our inbox. We take reasonable steps to ensure these providers protect your information to a standard comparable with Australian law.

How we keep it secure

Information is held in access-controlled systems with multi-factor authentication, encrypted in transit and at rest, and available only to the people working on your matter or running the practice. Paper files are kept in locked premises. No system is perfectly secure; if a data breach is likely to cause you serious harm we will notify you and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner as the law requires.

How long we keep it

We keep client files for at least seven years after a matter closes, as professional rules require, and longer where a document (such as a signed agreement or a will) needs to be kept for your benefit. Enquiries that do not become matters are kept for as long as needed to respond and run conflict checks, then deleted. When information is no longer needed we destroy or de-identify it.

Access and correction

You can ask to see the personal information we hold about you, and ask us to correct it if it is inaccurate, out of date or incomplete. Email inquiries@joshilawyers.com.au or call 03 8386 9502. We will respond within 30 days. Access is free in most cases; if a request involves substantial work we will tell you the cost before we start. In limited circumstances the law lets us refuse access (for example, where it would reveal another person’s information or legally privileged material); if so, we will tell you why.

Complaints

If you think we have mishandled your personal information, tell us first and we will investigate and respond within 30 days. Write to the Privacy Officer at inquiries@joshilawyers.com.au. If you are not satisfied with our response you can complain to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (oaic.gov.au, 1300 363 992). Concerns about our conduct as lawyers can also be raised with the Victorian Legal Services Board and Commissioner.

Changes to this policy

We update this policy when our practices or the law change. The current version is always at this address, with the date it was last updated at the top.

Contact

Joshi Lawyers Pty Ltd
Suite 501, 12-14 Claremont Street, South Yarra VIC 3141
inquiries@joshilawyers.com.au · 03 8386 9502